Kitna: from Cowboys QB to math teacher

Much attention has been given, and rightly so, to the difficulty pro athletes have in retirement. Going from cheering crowds, the lure of competition, and the money to a life far different can be difficult.

Some fight depression and withdrawal, and some have no plans in their post-pro sports world. And then there's Jon Kitna.

Kitna, 39, retired after this season, 15 years as a quarterback in the NFL for four teams. His last three years were as a backup quarterback for the Cowboys. When Tony Romo was injured in 2010, Kitna threw for 2,365 yards and 10 touchdowns.

To find Kitna these days is to go to back to his high school, Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash. The Seattle Times profiled Kitna over the weekend where he is a volunteer math teacher at the impoverished high school.

Kitna graduated from Central Washington in the 1990s with a degree in match education.

"I didn't marry an NFL quarterback," Jennifer, his wife, told the Times. "I married a teacher and a coach."

Last year Kitna made $3 million. Last week, he arrived at Lincoln at 7 a.m. and brought in a bag of McDonald's breakfast sandwiches for students who needed extra help. He then hosted a home room and taught two periods of algebra.

Kitna bought $50,000 worth of weight equipment for the weight room, one Kitna used when he went to school there.

"We don't believe that we've been given all we've been given to just enjoy a comfortable life," Kitna said.